


Little Birdie

by eafay70



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 14:16:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11922633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Erik and Marco need to comfort their Ava.





	Little Birdie

**Author's Note:**

> Back when Erik was said to be headed to Stuttgart, I decided not to write an Ava fic in response. Now that it appears that Erik will remain in Dortmund, albeit unfit to play for the time being, I've decided to try to tackle my various feelings.

The sound of footsteps in the kitchen woke Erik up. His first thought was that Marco had gone to get a drink of water, but that idea was proven wrong by Marco's hand squeezing his.

"Should I check?" whispered Marco. Erik could hear the worry in the other man's voice.

"We could check together," Erik offered, equally worried. Neither man wanted to say it out loud, but both of them were terrified that whatever had disturbed their slumber was a threat - specifically, a threat they couldn't fight off due to their injuries.

By now, the footsteps had been replaced by the sounds of the kitchen phone. After exchanging a look of confusion with Marco, Erik moved the corded phone from his nightstand to the middle of the bed and picked up the receiver. He held it between himself and Marco so both men could hear the phone ring twice before being answered.

"Hallo?" The voice was very familiar, even though its owner was clearly exhausted.

"Onkel Matze?" Erik somehow held back a heartbroken gasp as his eyes met Marco's.

"What is it, Ava?" Matze whispered. The only response was a barely audible whimper. "Ava, sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"I had a bad thought. You can't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"I couldn't sleep, and I was thinking about Papa being too hurt to move to Stuttgart. And I thought...if Papa and Vati stay hurt, we can all stay here. But I don't want them to stay hurt."

Erik and Marco made eye contact, silently asking each other why their sparrow didn't want them to know how she felt.

"Ava, dearest, you should tell your Papa and Vati how you feel," Matze whispered. "I know it's scary, but it'll make you feel better because they'll be able to help you. When I was worried about Onkel Auba moving to Spain, I told him, and he promised to keep me informed."

"But then you left anyway." A sob escaped Ava's lips.

"I know. I told him as soon as I got the offer. He told me I should take the chance."

Ava cried a little more. "I really miss you, Onkel Matze."

"I really miss you, too, Ava. But I told you I'd always be there for you, and that's why you called me." Matze exhaled softly. "And your fathers will always be there for you, too, no matter what. That's why you should tell them what's going on. Your fathers will help you, Ava, I know they will."

"No, they...can't. They...won't."

"Yes, we will," Marco and Erik promised.

Matze cleared his throat loudly. "Go talk to them, Ava, please. I love you." He hung up.

Erik swallowed back a sob as he returned the phone to its normal spot. Marco squeezed his hand even tighter as they listened to the footsteps move from the kitchen to their doorway. Ava gripped Schmetterling tightly, not saying a word.

"Come up here, Spatz," Erik whispered, patting the bed. His heart broke even more as she shook her head, not moving from the doorway.

"Ava, please..." Marco gulped, clearly trying not to cry. "Come here to us."

"I can't." Ava buried her face in the butterfly plushie's wings. "You're hurt."

"We're never too hurt for you." Erik decided not to fight back his tears. "Never ever."

Ava slowly walked towards the bed and climbed between her fathers, both of whom were sobbing. "I'm so confused. I don't want either of you to go anywhere. I just want you to be at Dortmund and playing well and not hurt."

"It's hard for all of us." Marco could barely speak. "If Papa can play more elsewhere, then he should."

"But if I'm injured, I'm injured. I can't really change that." Erik sighed. "There isn't an easy answer for any of this, Spatz. We want what's best for you, and what's best for each of us, and what's best for the club. And that doesn't always match, especially when we're hurt."

"Why can't you just get better and stay better?!" Ava kicked the mattress, clearly angry at herself for asking that question out loud.

"I just don't know," Marco admitted. "But it's okay to be angry and sad and confused about all of this, Ava. We feel that way, too."

"Really?" Ava looked up in surprise.

"Really. It's hard for me to even think about the World Cup or the Euros sometimes," said Marco.

"And you know what Vati does when that happens?" Erik smiled softly at the other man. "He tells me how he's feeling, and I listen to him."

"And then I feel better." Marco kissed Erik's nose. "Papa tells me when he's unhappy, too, so I can listen to him and help him feel better."

"Oh." Ava pondered this for a moment, then held Schmetterling to her ear. "Schmetterling says that it doesn't change anything."

"On a certain level, it doesn't," Erik acknowledged. "It doesn't make Vati or me able to play again. But it means that you have somebody who understands your feelings. That can help."

Schmetterling nodded (with help from Ava, of course). "I think that's what Onkel Matze meant when he was talking about telling Onkel Auba how he felt about moving." She covered her fathers' clasped-together hands with her own. "Ich liebe euch."

"Wir lieben dich auch." The two men allowed their daughter to cuddle between them for the night, hoping that the following days would be easier.

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title from the song of the same name from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."


End file.
